


Dudley Goes to America

by AmericanDesi



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dudley is Trying, MACUSA | Magical Congress of the United States of America, Post-Canon, Redeemed Dudley Dursley, Tags May Change, Vernon & Petunia Mentioned, Wizarding World of the United States of America
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:47:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24501832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmericanDesi/pseuds/AmericanDesi
Summary: Dudley left the UK, too much had happened there and he realized he needed to be his own man. He joins Kowalski's Baking Company and then meets a girl. The girl is special, maybe too special?Oh, and a bunch of churches and buildings are being blown up in the Midwest, probably just run-of-the-mill terrorism....right?I'll come up with a better description once the story is done.
Relationships: Dudley Dursley & Harry Potter, Dudley Dursley/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	1. December, 2003; Dudley

Chicago had always been chillier than logic would have one believe. He walked into the large banquet hall that had been taken up by his company for that evening. It was hard to believe that only a few months ago he had been arguing with his parents to come to America. His father seemed to believe that coming to the “upstart” country was an insult to the greatness of the British Crown. Dudley couldn’t hold back the question regarding the status of the crown now, with its empire dismantled. His father had turned a shade of Purple that only Vernon Dursley could achieve.

Pushing these thoughts into the back of his mind, he repeated the thoughts his therapist had given him, “I am not my parents, their sins were not mine.” Here, with a clean slate and no one knowing him, life had gone on well. He had continued boxing at a gym nearby, making friends with the people there. Such activity had taken the portly child and transformed him into an undeniable man. A simple black jacket, and black tie adorned his body, Smeltings had taught him how to dress as a gentleman should. Plus, the whole British guy in a suit sometimes did wonders for his nightlife. Not that he really had any hope of meeting anyone at parties like these. His father’s insistence on fraternization in the workplace being indecent kept him from pursuing those activities.

He grabbed his name card and looked to find his table. It was with other members of the Franchise Management Department. He nodded to the others as he took his seat. They were all talking about Basketball. As one of the only British souls working in the company, there were moments such as these which led him to feel a bit excluded. Inwardly he chuckled, after all the years of bullying and exclusion he had done, now he was the one looking in. Dudley snapped back to reality when he realized John was calling his name. He looked up slightly startled, “Sorry, was just thinking about my flight back home next week.”

John laughed kindly, “I can’t imagine what it must be like to live on a completely different continent than my parents. Hey, when is your flight by the way? I was thinking of taking the rest of the team out to a Bulls game soon. Use the company box, you know.”

Dudley looked at him thankfully, John was a good boss. He didn’t ask for more than could be handled, but also didn’t go easy on anyone. “Current plan is to leave Sunday night. Cheaper tickets and all. Whens the match?”

They both got up, heading towards the open bar that had been supplied by the company. Dudley had become a beer man, another thing that he couldn’t shake from this father. John looked at him, grinning. “Well Dudley, the  _ game _ is on Friday. You definitely could make it.”

Dudley nodded absently as he looked around the room and his eyes landed upon a woman. She was startlingly beautiful, enchanting even. Blonde curls that fell a quarter of the way down her back. The color of her hair was accented by the silver dress she wore, flowing over her like a river. Absently Dudley responded to John, “Uh….yeah, I’d love to join everyone. Put my name down. Tell the rest the guys I’ll be back to the table soon.”

John followed Dudley’s eyeline and raised an eyebrow, the grin spreading wider. “Careful bud, the most beautiful roses often have the sharpest thorns.” He winked at the larger man, clapped him on the back and headed back to the table with other Franchising members. Dudley nodded towards his boss and rolled his shoulders, actively trying to turn on his British Charm. He stopped next to her on the wall, she had procured a note of some kind. A frown seemed to have creased her face and Dudley almost stopped. He decided to just stand next to her, waiting until she seemed to be done reading the note. He leaned against the wall, staring out over the crowd. A corporate Christmas party meant a lot of people who usually didn’t see each other coming near each other. It had taken him half a month to learn where most of the departments were. Still, after almost three months, if someone asked him to get to the IT department, he would definitely be lost. His thoughts turned back to home, to Privet Drive. He hadn’t really considered the place home since they had needed to leave five years back. After that, it became his parents’ house. Where he would go between undergraduate terms. If he could, he would leave during the summer, finding work within the business sphere. Thus, he ended up in London on at least a few of the summers, working for large MNCs in their auditing and accounting departments. Dudley was pulled out of his reverie by someone clearing their throat next to him.

He looked at the woman next to him, her eyes making parts of him melt. Enchanting really was the word to describe her. She spoke first, “Hi there, were the other walls too free?”

His voice caught in his throat as he tried to think of something to say, “Uh...no, no, you seemed really pensive here so I thought I’d try this wall out too.” Dudley had never really been that quick on his feet, but working with the gentlemen of business taught one how to sharpen their wit.

Dudley’s accent caught her attention, as he had hoped it would. It was sad really how much he leaned on it out here. He was sure if he said that in a pub in England the woman would roll their eyes and move on. Here however, a raised eyebrow and a grin greeted him. “English huh? Didn’t know we had those working around here. What department you in?”

He returned the smile, “Uh, Franchising. I mostly work on the International side of things. Work with the EU regulations and stuff. How about you, where are you situated?”

“Legal, mostly domestic stuff. Making contracts, reviewing contracts, its boring stuff for the uninitiated.”

“Yeah, that would be me. I’ll be honest, never really appreciated reading. Much rather would be talking to people or watching the telly.”

“Oh don’t worry, I watch FRIENDS and Charmed too, we need to have our break times too.”

Their brief conversation was interrupted as Rupert Kowalski took the podium and called for everyone to take their seats. Dudley looked at her with a guilty smile, “Seems we will have to end our conversation here. I never got your name by the way.”

“Its Laurie, now I should get to my seat. It was great to meet you!” With that she walked back over to her table. Dudley couldn’t help but watch her as he walked back to his own table. John and Travis had knowing smiles for him as he took his seat.

“You get any information then? I don’t think I’ve seen her around before.” Travis had leaned over, drowning out Rupert talking about the history of the company.

“Her names Laurie, and she said she’s from Legal.” Dudley responded as Rupert finished up and food began filtering to the tables

Keith frowned, “Laurie? In Legal? I didn’t know there was anyone on that end by that name.”

Dudley gave a shrug, “She may be a recent hire, never know.” He lifted his head to look over to where she had sat down. With some alarm he realized that she seemed to be missing. Dismissing it, he looked down at his food. It was possible she had gone to the washroom or something. Throughout the rest of the night, he would look in the direction and see that the mystery woman was not there. By night's end he had surmised that Laurie had left a long time ago. 

His colleagues picked up on his obvious disappointment, “Ah don’t worry man, I’m sure you’ll find another bird to pick up. A couple of us definitely haven’t had our nights fill of fun.”

Dudley gave them a smile and went on to get drunk at a rooftop nearby. He lived near enough that he could get a taxi and make it home.


	2. December, 2003; Rabastan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whats Rabastan Lestrange been up to?

Rabastan had run. As soon as the Dark Lord had fallen, he ran, his family was gone, sent back to Azkaban. First he hid in the Scottish highlands, but eventually the Aurors had come his way so he had to run again, scrounging and using Muggle technology to blend into the general populace. He had cut his hair into a Muggle fashion and even wore their clothes. He kept his wand however, it would not do well to leave that behind. If he could he may try and find another at some point. For now however, this was his life. Eventually he made his way farther west, to America. He had never visited the country, never needing to. For the first time in his life, Rabastan Lestrange took an airplane. He had pilfered enough Muggle money to grab a flight to New York. It had taken a while to do so, but he did it. Muggles across the Scottish countryside simply remembered donating to a local charity. The fact that the charity did not exist would only be an issue for the Muggle law enforcement if they ever looked into it, not the Ministry. Slytherins such as himself may have been labeled the dark wizards, but people often overlooked their cunning and drive to survive.

Now he was here, in small-town Nebraska. If all went well, no one was to bother him here. Not while he would try and return himself to some level of power. The Wizarding Government here in the United States was even more secretive than the one back home, meaning that there was little interface between the mundane and the magical. Or at least, that is what had been understood in Britain over the past decades. He was sipping a beer in a  _ bar _ now, listening to talking heads drone on and on about something or another. It was probably sports, but Muggle pastimes had always irritated him. He had been trying to learn the ones here in America, but it was not easy going. He went by Robert Lesterly now, another worker at the local Oil Plant. Still, anger burned within him to be unable to help the other Death Eaters. So, he had started to work his way up the ladder, using what guile he had to become a junior manager. If things worked out with his current target he may be able to work his way into some money to purchase materials to destroy Azkaban. On top of that he may be able to sire another Lestrange into the world, in a tradition that fit their family. Muggles truly had come up with interesting alternatives to magic. Bombs that acted like powerful hexes, destroying everything around them. One of those would be quite useful to him today. There was one other great thing about hiding in small town America, the rampant hate that was so easy to exploit.

So, he had rounded up some plant workers and their friends, painting the picture of a pure America, much in the same way that he wished for a pure Britain. Today they were going to head to the next state over and lay waste to a minority church. Casualties were going to be aimed at none, but if someone were to pass beyond the veil, it would be of no consequence to him. Another mongrel wiped from the face of the Earth. To help them, he would cast a disillusionment charm on the vehicle once they were near the area. Local law enforcement would not know what to do with a disappearing car. He knew it could draw undue attention to him, but it was worth the risk. Stoking tensions would help, the idiotic Muggles would draw battles lines and do the work of killing each other. Then, those who were left would be brought under Wizarding power’s heel. Rabastan wasn't idiotic enough to think that just one attack would be enough. After this one there would be another, this time aimed at a more White church. It of course didn't matter to him which Muggles died and which one's lived, but it had been slightly difficult convincing the Americans. Thankfully they understood eventually. Didn't even need an imperious curse to do it.  


Getting up, he closed out his tab, walked around back and popped over to where the rest of the guys were loading up. He cast a silent  _ muffliato  _ behind his back to protect the privacy of the plan. After having fought two wars, he knew how to obscure himself. Travis, Sean, and Jeremy looked up at him from their plans. “Heya Bob, we’re about ready to head on out. We are planning on reaching Colorado by early morning tomorrow. Gonna check into a motel, cash only, and be out by the evening.”

Rabastan nodded his head, “Alright, just you three then?” Travis nodded back confirmation and Rabastan continued, “Good, give me a call when you check-in, make sure that you don’t use your real names and when you get to the site hide your faces. Here use these.” He pulled out some masks he had transfigured to look like Death Eater masks. It was doubtful that anyone who understood would see them. And if they did, Robert Lesterly would meet a sad end in the papers as Rabastan took flight once again. He himself wouldn’t be traveling with the group. A simple apparition would get him to the site to place the charm.  


The trio packed up their gear and left, ready to wreck some havoc. The embers of war were to be lit. Rabastan waited until they were gone and then popped home. His job was done for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, hope you enjoy reading. Saw a lack of Dudley Dursley content in various forms so decided to make my own story. If you have ideas or concepts to explore, please let me know. If there are grammatical errors, I do apologize as it is sometimes difficult to critique one's own writing.


	3. January, 2004; Dudley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dudley gets a second chance.

Dudley had looked as hard as he could, but there was no Laurie in legal and perhaps there never had been. He had tried walking around the building a few times, looking for that shimmering hair, with nothing to show for it. He had felt like the other employees wondered why he kept walking by, looking at him strangely, but he forged on. By the end of that week he had to give up the search. The other guys in his department gave him conciliatory smiles and confused shrugs. They had all seen her at the party, and each had offered their own idea on who she was. Most agreed that she had been someone else’s girlfriend who just had a little fun that night. Eventually, Dudley concurred with them, believing that she was just someone having fun at his expense. To cheer himself up, he agreed to go to the Bulls game, and even though they lost it was still a fun time. All the guys got beers and celebrated another year. Even though he was still relatively new, everyone in the team had taken a shine to him. And then he went back to England and remembered why he left. 

At this point, life was split into two parts. Before the War and after it. As a  _ Muggle _ , he shouldn’t have given much thought to that war. It wasn’t in his world, not directly. Sure, he had heard about the terrorist attacks, as much as Petunia tried to mollify the world around him. And then Harry turned 17 and all hell broke loose. He had to leave, and all he had told his cousin, someone who should have been his brother, was that he wasn’t a waste of space. Those words had been a waste of air. They hid on a little island off Portugal, as far from the war as they could get. His parents had complained the entire time of course, trying to get Dudley to join in too. At first he did, but by then the free thinker inside of him realized that if Harry lost, Dudley would lose too. So, he stayed up with Dedalus and Hestia, listening to Potterwatch. He heard the names of the dead, the names of the stolen and realized that they were fighting so that him and his parents wouldn’t live in fear of a world that could kill them at the flick of a wrist. The only irony was that his parents already lived like that. They vilified anything that acted different, in fear that it would somehow harm them.

Once it was all over in May, they were returned to their home, which seemed to have been relatively undisturbed. The yard and such had obviously become overgrown, with notices plied on their door telling them to mind the image of the street. Dudley thanked Dedalus and Hestia, which made Vernon all purple, yelling that they must have bewitched him somehow. Dedalus and Hestia shook their heads, their faces shallow with the pain that must have come from losing too many of their friends. Petunia ushered him inside before too much of a scene was made and the entire neighborhood came to see what the fuss was. Dudley grimaced and nodded once again to the pair as they walked down the street, until they were gone from view. He vaguely heard a popping sound telling him that magic had left his life.

Dudley pulled himself out of his memories as he walked into the mall to meet his roommate and some of their friends. They had all celebrated the new year together and now were heading out to watch some new Tom Cruise movie,  _ The Last Samurai _ . The movie had come out the month before, but they had all been too busy to watch it then. As he made his way towards the theatre conjoined to the shopping center a bob of golden hair caught his attention. It was hidden under a cap, but something about the hair seemed familiar. A prickling sense of hope opened up in him. As well as resentment. Was it actually that woman? He looked at his watch and decided there was enough time for a quick detour.

He made a wide loop, trying to see if it indeed was her. The person seemed to be dressed in a more formal manner today, almost as if she was going to work soon. Which was definitely odd, it was the weekend. Then again, Americans worked an ungodly amount at the altar of capitalism. Even his father would probably find it odd. Once he saw her face, he stopped dead in his tracks, sure that it was the same woman. He would remember that face for as long as he was able. Slowly he made his way through the racks of clothes in the store and stood near her, “Laurie?”

Startled, she seemed ready to pull something out of her sleeve and Dudley pulled his hands up in a form of surrender, “Sorry to surprise you, its that guy who you ghosted a few weeks ago at the Kowalski Christmas Party.”

Laurie’s shoulders relaxed as her eyes widened in recognition. Dudley tried not to stare at her caramel eyes, reminding himself to blink and act like a normal human. She slid her hand out of her sleeve giving him a simple smile. “Oh, right, um, sorry about that. I had meant to stay, but got called away due to an emergency.”

Dudley meant to ask what she was going to pull out of her sleeve, but focused on the new information. He narrowed his eyes, “Really? Ah, well hope everything is okay now.” It sounded like a decent excuse, but he still needed to figure out who she was.

Laurie’s eyes glinted, as if she knew something he didn’t, “Yeah, yeah, everything is fine now. My friend was going through some stuff and I needed to go tend to her.”

Suddenly Dudley felt entirely childish, scratching the nape of his neck awkwardly, “Uhhhh, that's good to hear. Listen, I don’t mean to sound too forward or anything, but I was wondering if I might get your name? I wasn’t able to last time on account of the CEO starting his inane speech.” He wanted to also ask where she actually worked, but thought better of it.

Silence filled the air for a moment, as if she were considering telling him the truth or not. After what seemed like an eternity, she spoke, “I guess thats only fair, my name is Laurentia Kowalski. Guess you can tell why I go by Laurie.” She gave him a kind smile.

Dudley stopped functioning for a minute, processing the information that just came to him, “Kowalski? As in the company I work at, Kowalski? Sibling to my CEO, Rupert?!” She nodded back at him, a large grin growing across her face. Feeling small was too kind a way to describe how Dudley felt at that exact moment, but he gathered himself enough to say, “Well, my name's Dudley. Dudley Dursley. I hope you don’t mind me too much for accosting you like this. Please don’t tell your brother I said that about his speech.”

Sheepishness, a once foreign feeling, was finding its way through him. She simply laughed, a light airy laugh that made him slightly weak at the knees. “Don’t worry Dudley. I’m pretty sure I would have done the same in your case. And I’m sure even Rupert knows his speeches are terrible to listen to. We all make sure to tell him.”

He just forced his face into an awkward smile, the pieces still falling into place. Of course she was at the Kowalski Christmas Party, it was her family’s company, “All? So there is more than your brother and you?” He didn’t really know why he was asking her about her family, but it seemed better than just awkwardly leaving again.

She nodded, “Yeah, we have another sister, Lilian, the youngest of us three. And then its our cousins across the world. All of us like reminding Rupert not to get too big a head.” All of the surprise had left her eyes, now simply replaced with enthusiasm.

Dudley’s smile turned a little sad, his memories of family being tarnished with the horror show his cousin had endured. “Family is amazing for occasions like that. Listen, I was wondering if I could get your number? I have to meet my friends for a movie in a few minutes, but maybe we might see each other again? On purpose?” His eyes shone with a certain enthusiasm to them, the same that a child might have when trying something especially foolhardy.

Laurie took his phone, holding it in her hand crookedly. That glint in her eyes returned, a mischievousness that made him almost wonder if she was going to give him her number. Seeming to decide that he was worthy of her contact information, she punched those ten digits into the phone and handed it back to him. He looked at it real quick and called the number. A chirp sounded from her purse, confirmation that the number was indeed hers. He quickly disconnected the call, putting his phone away. She had one more surprise for him, “Dudley, how about we have dinner tomorrow. I heard there was a great Mediterranean place downtown, just off Michigan Avenue.”

He stumbled over his words as his eyes widened in shock, “Yes yes, that’d be great. Um, would 7:00 work for you?”

She simply smiled at him, amusement clearly making itself known, “Seven would be great. I’ll message you the details. See you there.” Dudley dumbly nodded in confirmation, at a loss for words. With a flourish, she seemed to disappear.

Dudley walked back to where he was supposed to meet his friends in a daze. He reached the spot outside the theatre and was only mildly annoyed to be greeted by empty space. A glance at his watch told him the issue however, he had spent too much time talking to Laurie. The film had probably started now, but he could catch up. Plus, after the movie he could tell them about the stroke of luck that just hit him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there, I am really sorry for being so slow with writing. I have an idea for where I want this story to go, its just finding the time to actually get out and write something that I like. I don't know how many Rabastan chapters there will be. I think the next chapter will be another Dudley one. Hope you enjoyed the twist to who Laurie is. Also, I apologize for the formatting being odd, I wish it were easier to edit and make tabs actually functional.


	4. February, 2004: Part 1; Dudley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dudley receives a shock at Laurie's Dinner Party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long one, but honestly worth it. Enjoy, and I hope your heart hurts a bit at the end. Oh, and I think I really like commas.

Dudley leaned back on his couch, Laurie tucked under his arm, her head resting on his chest. She had been more stressed recently, something probably having to do with her job that she couldn’t tell him about. In turn for not talking about her work, he didn’t talk about his past. She knew that both his parents were alive, but he was somewhat estranged from them, and had a cousin that he didn’t keep in contact with. That was all they knew. They were just mindlessly watching the Telly, channel surfing till they saw something worth keeping on.

Yesterday when he had met Laurie, she had seemed especially on edge, distracted through the night until they had just retired at his place. The pair seemed to come to his place more often for some reason, though he didn’t really mind. His mates and himself kept the place well kept. And it wasn’t like he had  _ never _ been to her’s, just not that often. She seemed to be distracted again today, so he bent down, rubbing his stubble against her neck, right under her jaw. He placed a gentle kiss to distract her from the thoughts running through her mind. She looked up at him, appreciation shining in her eyes. “Whats up? You seem...preoccupied?”

She lets out a heavy sigh, “I can’t talk about it, sorry. Something crazy has been going on and now the London Office is sending some people. They have a unique perspective on what is going on.”

He raised his eyebrows, this was the most she had ever talked about work. He didn’t even know that there was a London Office, though he supposed it made sense. Perhaps they worked in the American Embassy there. “When do they get here? We can maybe host them for a night? Give everyone a breather before you guys jump into whatever?” He just wanted to help her in any way he could. It hadn’t been that long that they had been dating, even less that they were official. He had met her friends a few times, and she had met his many more. Thankfully, everyone had seemed to get along well. If there was distaste between any of them, the situation would have been difficult.

She looked at him, an odd look in her eye, “Hmm….maybe an ordinary dinner would be just what everyone needed. The folks from London are definitely shaken up by the news that has been received.” As she was talking, Dudley had absently kept channel surfing, but now put down the remote, muting the TV. She took her weight off him, sitting on the couch, looking more animated than she had recently. “They get in tomorrow actually. I can get a message to them to invite them to dinner.”

She got off the couch now, Dudley watched her in an amused sense, direction and purpose had returned to her. Something he realized that was missing from her. Whatever had happened had shaken her to her core. She gave him a soft kiss as she put on her coat and boots. “Tomorrow, my place, five o’clock. Dress well. Thanks Dud, this is what I needed.”

He sat back on the couch, unsure of what exactly just happened. She did like hosting people, so this was a helpful distraction for her. He flicked back to the news and then froze completely still. At the bottom of the screen, emblazoned in big black bold letters,  **TERRORIST ORGANIZATION, ORDER OF THE PHOENIX TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR ATTACKS** . He rushedly unmuted the machine, catching the end of what the newscaster was saying. “We the Order of the Phoenix will rise from the ashes of this cleansed land. Like the magical bird we will burn the world around us such that it can be reborn.”

There had been unrest in the nation for the past few months, with explosions occurring in Middle America. There was even a recording being released of a police officer killing a black man during a routine traffic stop. The cop implored that he was not guilty and had no recollection of the event. His record stated that he had simply stopped the driver for speeding, a legitimate citation, and then the next thing he knew was a dead body and a smoking gun in his hand. The person recording the event had apparently come across it from the other side of the road and conveniently had their video recorder with them.

It was crazy to think that even with everything he had run from, there was still the pall of terror here. America may not have a colonialist history to contend with, but it did have a history of racism that threatened to continuously tear the nation apart. The odd thing was that, some two years on from the horror of 9/11, racism was a part of life. He hadn’t really noticed it at first, but back in the UK, the Eastern Populations were a little louder, a little prouder. Here, they were subdued, as if trying to draw as little attention to themselves as possible.

Dudley was frozen as he took in the headline, no doubt in his mind that this name had been chosen on purpose. This name was the same as the one that protected him and his family. Was this the news that had rocked Laurie so much? That couldn’t make sense though, she said she worked for the government, and she’d need to be…. _ magical _ for that name to mean anything to her. As far as he could tell, she was as normal as him. A  _ muggle _ , bereft of the ability to circumvent the laws of physics. No, it was probably something else….but then why were people from London coming? There were too many questions, questions he wasn’t sure he wanted the answer to. Laurie was amazing, fun and thrilling in all the right ways. He felt more alive when he was with her, time dilating and rushing past him in the blink of an eye. She was blisteringly witty, in a way that he never really could be. There was also an innate sense of justice in her. She always gave some money to the needy on the sidewalks, or maybe a meal purchased from a fast food joint. She ranted about the unfairness of the situation and how she wanted to change things. Dudley had marveled at her each time, amazed that someone so opposite to who he used to be was who had fallen for. And he had fallen, not that he had told her yet. It definitely was too early to be saying words with that weight.

He pushed his thoughts away, turning on his PS2. He needed to think of something else, anything but the questions swirling through his mind. He hated them, and what they would mean. He button mashed the  _ X _ button on God of War, letting his mind be taken away to a different place.

-

It was five till, but he wanted to get there a little early, in case she needed any last minute help setting up. Then again, this was very very last minute. She was at the door, dressed impeccably in a blue denim jacket, with an orange dress underneath. Her shimmering hair fell in curls around her shoulders. A smile spread across her face, “Dudley! Come in, come in. The guys from London just arrived.” A frown creased on his face for a second as he checked his watch. Nope, he wasn’t late, they were just oddly early. “They came straight from the airport.” She answered his unasked question.

He nodded and walked in, hugging Laurie as he moved past her into the apartment. Then, he saw the occupants of the living room and stopped short. His breath caught. Fuck. The questions he didn’t like last night were now answered. He turned around to Laurie who had run into him when he had stopped so suddenly. His voice was barely a whisper, “You’re a  _ wizard _ , Laurie.” It wasn’t a question, more a statement. That was the only reason that  _ he _ was standing in the room. Black hair unkept, glasses slightly skewed, muscles seeming to have appeared on his body. Perhaps they were due to not getting fed table scraps, or receiving clothes that were too big for him. A ring seemed to glisten on his finger. Dudley vaguely remembered receiving a wedding invitation. He had been busy with exams and been unable to attend, though he had sent a gift of some sort.

She had been saying something, probably telling him to move when she stopped as she took in his words, a frown creasing her face. A nervous laugh escaped her, her eyes darting between Dudley and her guests. “What do you mean? Like a magician? For kids?”

His voice dropped low, “Don’t lie to me. Not when Harry fucking Potter is in your living room.” He had tried to control it, but the words came out in a growl. A hand came to rest on his shoulder, pressing down gently, but firmly. There was a clear message,  _ calm the fuck down. _

It was  _ his _ voice now, after a big sigh, “Hey Big D. I didn’t think I’d find you all the way out here.” His voice was calm, jovial almost, but years of experience had taught Dudley that there was a uncertainty in it, a tinge of playground fear. As if he was realizing there was ice under his feet and needed to step carefully. Or, that Dudley and Piers had found him.

Dudley brushed the hand off his shoulder, his voice was gruff, “Don’t call me that. I’m not him anymore.” He turned around and looked down at his cousin. They were quiet for a moment, eyes locked, time ticking past them. Neither of them said anything, what was there to say. He had been a bastard as a child, pummeling his cousin because he was told it was okay. That the man in front of him was to be treated like the dirt, in fact worse than the dirt. Guilt and regret yelled at him, telling him to apologize. To do something. How does one even do that? He broke, his eyes falling to the ground, his legs giving out beneath him. “H-harry.” The name was uttered under his breath, full of emotion. Tears threatened to give way, and they did. Clear drops of water slid down his face, emotions raging. Guilt winning. “I’m so sorry. For everything. For my parents, for me, just everything.”

Out of the corner of his blurry eyes, he saw colors moving away. Laurie’s golden hair accompanied by the tall black man. Perhaps they knew that this was to be a private moment. Dudley looked up at Harry again, green eyes looking down at him with shock. “You didn’t come back to the house after the war….not that I really blame you. You were probably happy to be done with us. My parents try to pretend that you were never there. I had thought of looking for you, but I decided to just focus on this new life I had. I actually did well in school for once. Didn’t even need to bully anyone into getting the homework either. I boxed a lot, met good people through that. They helped me change. They helped me grow. I was away from my parents now, you know, able to think for myself for the first time. I met people with roots from around the world, opening my eyes to everything I had been missing. I mean, I haven’t even talked to Piers in years. Or really anyone else from that time.” Dudley took a breath, the words tumbling out of him. He needed to tell Harry that he wasn’t the same kid he had left half a decade ago. He had grown up, he repented and he would accept his penance. “And then I ran here, cutting my contact with my parents to a minimum. They hate that, but I needed to do it. Needed to keep this growth going. I met amazing people here, I met Laurie, I was happy. I am happy. I try to listen to different stories, to different people. You know I even took a minor in psychology? I hadn’t meant to, but I just kept taking classes that eventually I had the credits. We were wrong, we were so so wrong, and I am so so so sorry.” He stops, slightly out of breath, silently begging for forgiveness that he didn’t deserve. He didn’t dare look up.

The same hand that had warned him just a few minutes ago now rested on his shoulder again. “I….” Harry’s voice was strained, as if he didn’t know what to do. He started and stopped over and over again, until Harry was knelt in front of him. They were level.. “Dudley.” Harry used his full name, causing the large man to look up. Their eyes met, an understanding passing between them. “I get it, honestly I do. Over the past years I have met people who have been indoctrinated into something that they never had a chance at beating. There was this one guy, Malfoy, I hated his guts until I realized that he was just another pawn in Voldemort’s war. I mean, I still hated him, but I understood him. I got why he was the way he was.”

Harry took a breath, “What I’m trying to say, and failing at, is that I get it Dudley. I’m not…” His voice trailed off and he took a breath as if finding the words to say. “Your parents, they hated everything that I stood for, the idea that there was something different about me scared them. I’m glad that you’re...trying” Harry reached out and gave him a gentle hug, not one of brothers, but something else. They parted and Harry gently helped Dudley back up. Dudley just looked at him dumbly, not understanding how he could be so calm about this entire thing. Dudley had come to just have a calm eventing, but ended up seeing his lost cousin and ending up a ball of tears on the ground. The Dudley of a few years ago would have denounced everything that had just happened, calling him a pansy for crying like that. Real men had taught him that the expression of emotion was one of the manliest things a guy could do. Harry called out into the empty space for the missing two, “You guys can come out now! We should probably give you an explanation.”

Dudley swallowed dry air, fearful of what Laurie will think of him once she learns about him and what he did, who he was. She seemed the forgiving type, but this was a lot to forgive. Even Harry hadn’t really forgiven him. He’d just accepted him, that he wanted to change and grow. To leave his old life behind. The pair walked back in, definitely curious, and genuinely baffled. Harry looked between Dudley and the unidentified man, grinning slightly, “I guess you two are the only ones who don’t know each other. Dudley, this is Dean Thomas, graduated in my year and now he works with me. Or, for me, depending on who you ask.”

Dean nodded his head in greeting, still confused by what had happened here, his low voice now permeated the air, “And you two know each other...how?”

Harry and Dudley looked at each other, unsure of how to go forward. Dudley said, “We went to school together.”

Harry, at the same moment, said, “We are cousins.” They looked at each other in bewilderment. Harry had always been more courageous. Meanwhile, Dudley wanted to hide the truth from Laurie as long as he could.

Hanging his head, Dudley nodded, “And yeah, we’re cousins. I haven’t seen Harry since the War when he left to go fight Voldemort.”

Laurie spoke up now, her American accent jarring against the Britishness of everyone else, “Wait, so if you guys are cousins, why….what was that about your parents hating him?” A fear was in her voice, as if she didn’t know him. Frankly, she didn’t.

Pursing his lips, he knew he had to answer the question, it wasn’t on Harry to do this for him, “My parents hate magic, everything about it. My mum’s sister, Harry’s mum, had magic, while mine didn’t. She was...jealous I guess?” Dudley took a breath, forcing himself to relive a childhood he wanted to erase. “My father meanwhile, hates anything that is different from him. Anything that wasn’t white and protestant he thinks is devil spawn. So….Harry, coming to live with us when his own parents were murdered was the absolute horror for him. Together they….” He looked up now, unable to continue.

Harry picked it up here quietly, “They made me their live-in maid, cleaning up after all of them, cooking for them, to be seen not heard. I got table scraps if necessary.” Dudley noticed his cousin didn’t say anything about the bullying and the rest of the abuse. Maybe it was too painful for him to talk about too.

Dudley wanted to clap him on the shoulder, but then thought better of it, yanking his hand out of the air. “Yeah….so that’s us.” Laurie and Dean’s mouths were agape, shock covering them. They had just described child abuse. The sound of a kettle going off broke the silence and Laurie started to walk to the kitchen before pulling out her wand and pointing it towards the area. Dudley tried to cover the yelp that came out of him from seeing the tool. He hadn’t seen one in a while, and there were still some painful memories associated with them.

She smoothed out her dress, even though there were no wrinkles, “Lets all have some tea and then go from there?” She was hopeful that they could start to move past this.

He shook his head, Dudley couldn’t just drink tea and then make it all better. His upper lip wasn’t stiff enough. He found some paper and wrote down his address, handing it to Harry, “Here, this is my address. Come around later tonight, if you want. We can….talk.” He looked at everyone else gathered, “The invitation is for all of you, frankly. I’m sorry for ruining the evening.” With that, he walked out, aimlessly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess I'm updating more frequently? Jk, there is no chance of that. I just, needed to get this chapter out. Schedules are obviously inconsistent. No idea how long the next one will be, or when it will be. Guess y'all can figure out what Laurie does for a living now?


	5. February, 2004: Part 2; Laurentia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long overdue talk.

Laurentia walked behind the two cousins, awed at the effect they had on each other. Dudley had been somewhat guarded, but generally the epitome of a gentle giant the past two months. Now however, he looked to be at once trying to get closer to and farther from Harry. She tried to imagine what it would have been like if Rupert, Lillian, and her parents had mistreated her, never allowing her any sort of comfort in her identity. It seemed impossible to think of, to imagine such a reality. And yet, that is what had apparently happened. Dudley’s parents despised the idea of magic so much they used their magical nephew as a domestic servant. At least, that was most of what she had gathered from Dudley’s breakdown at her home and what Harry was willing to tell her. It wasn’t much, instead trying to deflect to the investigation the three of them were supposed to be heading. Dean wasn’t in the mood for talking about someone out there bastardizing the Order’s title after the entire mess, and decided he would use the rest of the weekend to check up on his no-maj family out in Wisconsin. He had told one of his cousins that he would be trying to come to America soon, they hadn’t seen each other in a while. Laurie helped him call ahead to let them know, it would be a few hours until he could get there, especially since he couldn’t just apparate in front of them. He made sure they wouldn’t worry about how he was going to get there, saying that his job was going to be picking up the check. 

Once Dean had left, Harry looked at her strangely, “How’d you meet him?”

It took her a moment to understand what he meant, “My family company’s christmas party, he works there actually, in Franchising. From what I’ve investigated, he seems to be quite good at his job.” Harry actually snorted, as if the idea that Dudley being good at work was unthinkable. Laurie felt an odd anger at him for dismissing the other man, even as she knew that their Dudleys were quite far apart. She wanted to defend him, but decided against it. It was probably best not to annoy one of the strongest Wizards in the world. Especially since they were supposed to be working together for the near-future. “Uh, well, are you going to talk to him tonight? I know I have to, I’ve worked really hard to hide all the magic from him. It might be an odd conversation to have, ya know?”

Harry snapped his gaze back to her, called back to reality by the question. After a moment he sighed heavily and nodded slowly, “I suppose I should go, though I don’t know if his place is the most appropriate location.”

Laurentia nodded, her lips pursed, “We could always go to a bar and cast a quick muffliato. You know, so we have privacy at our table.”

Harry chuckled this time, “I’m sure Dudley would  _ love _ that idea.” Noticing her frown he elaborates, “Dudley and Magic generally don’t get along. Hagrid gave him a pig’s tail when we were eleven,” She tries not to be annoyed by the smile that spreads across Harry’s face at the memory. “And then when we were 15, Fred and George…” The smile disappeared as Harry’s face morphed into Grand-Uncle Newt’s. They both had a haunted look of trying to remember friend’s faces they would never see again. Uncle Newt’s came up whenever he talked about Hogwarts and Leta Lestrange. It had hurt him to see his friend’s name so horribly destroyed by Bellatrix and her cabal as he called them. Laurentia mentally reminded herself to send an owl to Dorset to check in on him and her grand-aunt. The Wizarding War had been difficult for him, and he tried to help as he could, even fighting off snatchers with Aunt Tina.

Harry picked back up, seemingly also coming out of his own thoughts, “Anyways, yeah, so Dudley and Magic haven’t really mixed well. I’m surprised his year in Protection didn’t drive him insane.”

“Protection?” Laurie’s question came almost as soon as he finished speaking.

Harry nodded, “I guess you wouldn’t know as you were pretending to be Muggle, but in the final year of the war his parents and him were taken under the wing of the Order for safekeeping. To make sure that Voldemort couldn’t get them.”

She stood quietly after that, pondering what she now knew about her boyfriend. Something must have happened in that year or around there to disillusion him with the world his parents constructed for him. Pride was oddly blooming in her, for actions she wasn’t even around to witness. In the end, Harry had agreed to come, but on the condition they go to a  _ pub _ . He said he couldn’t be sober for this conversation.

And that’s how the three of them now walked on Chicago’s streets, walking towards a small hole in the wall that Laurie had suggested. It was technically an NM area, but a bunch of witches and wizards in the area had grown to like it. Dudley’s hulking figure continued in the relative darkness, silence filling the air as the two cousins kept to their thoughts. Harry’s lithe frame was next to him, no sense of familiarity between the two. Protests from the south side drifted up the river as they walked in silence. As Laurie tried to come up with a way to break the silence, an owl hooted. At the noise the two jumped a little, shaken to the land of the living. Dudley seemed to have a question, opening and closing his mouth like a fish on land.

Harry's voice snapped out, "Are you trying to remember how to breathe or do you have something to say?"

Dudley's mouth closed shut, self-awareness stifling him. Laurie gently put a hand on his back, letting him know it was okay. She ignored the way he just barely flinched. "Didn't you -"

Harry answered the question before it was finished, his face blank under the lamplight, "Yes."

Dudley blinked, "How is it?"

Harry let him finish the question now, seemingly unsure of how to respond. Laurie wasn't sure what they were talking about completely, but let them have their moment without intruding. " _ She _ died, the night I left." Dudley's mouth formed a silent exclamation of surprise. "Now, no more questions until I get a drink." Dudley dumbly nodded. Laurentia reached out and squeezed his arm. After a moment he leaned into her touch, unsure if she was really there. Laurie wasn’t sure if it was because she was magic or because she knew of his past.

Finally they made it to their destination, it was only slightly busy and most didn’t pay them much mind. The benefit of NMs being here was that even if someone did recognize Harry, they couldn’t swarm him without drawing attention. It allowed for a semblance of privacy. They found a small table in the back of the room and Laurie went to fetch the drinks. She thought it best to give them a moment by themselves. Dudley and Harry had both started to get up, but she sat them down. Dudley seemed desperate to not have Harry get the drinks for them.

When she came back with the drinks, a silent table greeted her. They were just starting at each other, not knowing how to start. Harry took his whiskey, nodded his head in thanks and started sipping it. Laurie groaned inwardly, this was going to be horrible. She decided she may as well try and get some sort of conversation going, “So, Harry, I think my sister, Lilian was telling me that Ginny has had a great season.”

Something seemed to come alive behind Harry’s eyes and he smiled, the first time she saw that expression on his face all day. “Yeah, she did, it's hard to get her off a broom sometimes. Her parents have a pitch on their property and all of us go up there to play. Most of us played at some point or another so we can all end up at each other’s throats a bit. D’You play?”

His focus seemed focused on her, as if trying to ignore the fact that Dudley was there. “No, Rupert played a bit in school. He was pretty good as a chaser. Lilian played Seeker. She’s always been small so she could fly around faster than others. You used to be quite good right?”

He shrugged, the whiskey in his glass draining slower now, “Decent enough at Hogwarts, rarely lost a match. Wish I could have played more, but there was work to be done.”

She nodded, she could understand that, having joined the Aurors after graduation. “You know, you’re part of the reason I joined. You were the same age as me and we couldn’t do anything here.”

Dudley piped in now, an accusation hidden somewhere in his voice, “What exactly do you do Laurie?”

She tried to ignore the way his eyes were boring into her head as she answered, “Well, I am a federal agent. That part was true.” His eyebrows moved up the barest amount. “Obviously, I don’t work for the FBI, its more...we work with them, and law enforcement in general. I’m an officer for the Magical Affairs Department of the United States, Auror of the seventh District.”

She saw Dudley mouthing the words,  _ Magical Affairs Department _ and the slight grin on his face as he thought of the acronym, “MAD innit?”

Laurie’s heart fluttered a little, for some reason when Dudley leaned into his Englishness it made her giddy. “Yeah, quite MAD. So, yeah. That's about it.”

Dudley leaned in now, trying to learn, “So, this Department, is it like ‘is Ministry?” He nodded his head towards his cousin, while also ignoring him somewhat. Harry meanwhile was quiet, drinking and trying to make himself small. Laurie frowned, trying to pass it off as thinking about his question. “Uhhhh, yeah, I think so. Harry, does the Minister for Magic report to the PM?”

Harry blinked as if realizing there was a conversation around him. “Yes? More like just informs them when anything of note is happening. I know Kingsley and Scrimegour had to tell Major about the Azkaban Breakout in ‘96.”

Laurie nodded along, “Yeah, so the Secretary has the same sort of relationship with the President. I think Clinton and Bush Sr. were somewhat aware of the situation in the UK.”

Dudley was frowning at Harry now, “Our Prime Minister knows that magic exists?”

Harry looked at Dudley as if he were an idiot, “Of course they do. Technically, I’m an officer of Her Majesty’s Government.”

Laurie decided to cut in before anything bad happened, mocking Harry’s tone, “ _ Her Majesty’s Government. _ You make it sound like you’re 007.”

Now the both of them looked at her, with an expression that only could have been learned from growing up together. Laurie wanted to laugh from the absurdity of it. Dudley spoke first, “Oi, don’t be making fun of Her Majesty. Grand lady she is. And for your information, James Bond is a British Hero. Proper gentleman.” Harry’s expression broke and he cringed away from Dudley.

As Dudley noticed, his eyes widened in alarm, “Oh God, I’m sorry Harry. I didn’t mean to sound like my father. Must have been-”

Harry let out a deep sigh and shook his head, “Its alright Big D, I know it wasn’t on purpose. Scary part is, I was thinking most of what you said anyways. Seems Vernon trained me just as well.”

Laurie didn’t miss the coldness that was emanating from the man when he talked about his uncle. She was going to try and steer the conversation back to greener pastures back when Dudley opened his mouth. “Harry.” Dudley put his hand on Harry’s. “Listen man, “ a steel entered his voice, “I am not him. I will  _ never  _ be him. I want to get to know you. Properly. You’re the only other family I have on this earth. I don’t want to be like my mother, never acknowledging what is right in front of me. What my parents did is inexcusable. I will never be able to apologize enough for them.” Laurie pursed her lips, whatever Dudley’s parents did, he shouldn’t pay for their sins.

Dudley continued on, “I mean this with every fiber of my being, you are my brother Harry James Potter. And I’m a damn fool for taking this long to realize it.”

Harry looked at a loss for words, apparently not expecting this, until after a seeming eternity he spoke quietly, “Why’d you have to go and get a conscience Big D.”

Dudley laughed quietly as he wiped away tears that had started to appear in his eyes. “I don’t know, I think being away from Piers for a year helped with that.”

The cousins shared a laugh, the first one they had in such a long time. They spent the rest of the night learning about each other. Unguarded and unfettered, as brothers. Laurie leaned back and enjoyed her screwdriver. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start and after 20 some years, what else could they ask for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, some quick notes:  
> 1\. Lmao, an update. I had a breakthrough with this and wanted to put off my actual work so I set to writing this. I had wanted to make it longer, but the ending felt much more natural. I think I'll have to go to a Rabastan mind-set for the next one. Haven't checked in with him for a while. **Please leave ideas in the comments, or just anything. It helps to know someone is reading this.**  
>  2\. Yeah, I hate the MACUSA with a burning passion. It is the single-most stupidest idea I have ever heard for a variety of reasons, least of which there being a "USA" by this point. FFS, the first iteration of what we know as America today wasn't even a Union. So, welcome to the MAD. I think I'm going to try and have some more Indigenous Representation in it somehow.  
> 3\. I had to write this from an outsider perspective because I could not put myself into the role of Dudley or Harry. I have a younger brother and cousins that I adore and love. To imagine the kind of abuse that Harry endured is horrific to me. I know as a writer I may have to do so some day, but today is not that day.
> 
> Once again, please comment. Even if its about the sorry state of the world.


End file.
